Meet our staff

Jaimi Cawley, District ManagerJaimi is responsible for supervising Marquette District staff, overseeing all fiscal management and reporting on district projects, contracts, and grants. Her main duties are overseeing budgets, providing the accounting for the business, preparing monthly board reports, and organizing events, including the spring tree sale.​(906) 226-8871 ext. 129jaimi.mqtcondist@gmail.com

Elise Desjarlais, Lake to Lake CISMA CoordinatorElise is a staff member at the Marquette County Conservation District, and serves as coordinator of the Lake to Lake Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (L2L CISMA), a multi-agency and multi-community group working to provide protection of native habitats by reducing the threat of non-native and invasive plant species. Her main duties include writing grant applications, grant reporting, maintaining L2L CISMA internal documents, coordinating the steering committee, and organizing the field work.

Matt Watkeys, District ForesterMatt is available to help Marquette and Alger County landowners with wildlife habitat, tree health and planting questions, state and federal forest management plan assistance, QFP and CFA programs, and any other forestry assistance issues. Call to set up a free site visit!​(906) 226-8871 ext. 128matt.watkeys@mi.nacdnet.net

Landen Tetil, Produce Safety TechnicianLanden is available for all UP produce growers for increasing on-farm produce safety. Education and technical assistance is delivered through the Michigan Safe Food Risk Assessment, On-Farm Readiness Reviews, Produce Safety Alliance Grower Trainings, and food safety plan writing assistance. Landen works with produce growers to implement safe food practices and coordinate local, state and federal agency resources to help reduce identified food safety risks, and make progress toward compliance with state and federal regulations in regards to food safety.

​(906)226-8871 ext. 105landen.mqtcondist@gmail.com

Misa Cady, NRCS District ConservationistMisa helps Marquette and Alger County landowners develop conservation plans, and she provides advice on the all phases of the Farm Bill’s recommended voluntary conservation practices. As the District Conservationist she works with landowners through conservation planning and technical assistance designed to benefit soil, water, air, plants, and animals that result in productive lands and healthy ecosystems. (906) 226-8871 ext. 127 misa.cady@mi.usda.gov

Evan Dunbar, NRCS Soil ConservationistEvan is responsible for the processing and maintenance of records which represent the financial and related transactions for Farm Bill programs and the administrative tasks of four Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) service centers (Marquette, Gladstone, Kingsford, and Stephenson). ​

(906) 226-8871 ext. 107​

Holly Moss, MAEAP TechnicianHolly administers the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) in a six-county area including Marquette County. She works with landowners to assess on-site risks to groundwater and provide technical assistance to achieve MAEAP certification. Farm*A*Syst, Small Farm*A*Syst, Crop*A*Syst, Orchard*A*Syst, and Greenhouse*A*Syst are just a few of the specific voluntary programs she oversees.

​(906) 428-9469 ext. 122 holly.wendrick@mi.nacdnet.net

​Kayla Knoll,American Bird Conservancy Partner BiologistKayla provides technical and planning assistance to private landowners in 22 Northern Michigan Counties as a part of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP is special effort to create high-quality young forest through forest management to benefit wildlife, particularly the Golden-winged warbler, woodcock, and ruffed grouse. Call today to find out about financial assistance or to schedule a free site visit.